almond butter rice crisp treats.

sometimes it may seem like my blog is having an identity crisis. a lot of the time my recipes are decadent and rich (hello, 10 tablespoons of butter), and other times i like to keep in vegan and raw. truth be told, this is just how i eat. sometimes i'm craving a whole-milk-pounds-of-butter-drowning-in-chocolate type of dessert, and other times i like to experiment with less sugar.

i love cooking both ways, but with this recipe, what drew me in was the almond butter. i have a love affair with almond butter. i go through a jarful almost weekly, and will throw it in oatmeal, on bananas, in smoothies...you name it...it probably tastes better with almond butter. this is a no-bake recipe, which is great, because turning on our oven this summer is pretty much a death sentence.

they were a huge hit in our house, and in my opinion, give the traditional rice krispie treat recipe a run for its money. but probably because of the thick layer of chocolate on top :)

almond butter rice crisp treats
adapted from oh she glows
ingredients
1/2 cup chunky almond butter
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp Earth Balance (or non-dairy spread)
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
3.5 cups Nature's Path Gluten Free Rice Crisp Cereal

chocolate topping:
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 tbsp almond butter
pinch salt
shredded coconut, to garnish

directions
prepare an 8 inch by 8 inch pan, lining it with parchment paper on both sides

in a large pot over low-medium heat, add the brown rice syrup, Earth Balance, almond butter and salt. stir well until combined and heated through. remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. stir in rice crisp cereal until well combined.

scoop into pan and spread evenly. press down with fingers and flatten. place in freezer for 5 minutes while you prepare the chocolate topping.

in a microwave safe bowl, add the chocolate chips and heat 60 seconds, stirring after 30 seconds. be careful not to burn. stir in almond butter and salt.

remove pan from freezer and spread chocolate over rice treats. sprinkle with coconut and place in freezer for until firm, about 15 minutes. slice into squares. bars will hold their shape quite well and room temperature, but we stored ours in the fridge to keep our chocolate solid.

enjoy! xo.